Positive Brain Babble

http://useventing.com/blog/?cat=14

I highly recommend all you eventing junkies watch this video. If its too boring for you to watch, here's some random, nonsensical notes from it.

Brain Babble:
We can't go more than 11 seconds without talking to ourselves.
We babble at the rate of 300 words per minute!

Creating positive emotion so we can ride with positive motions

The brain has a hard time hearing the world "not"- so "I'm not nervous" turns into "I'm nervous." Try "I'm confident" instead
Example: Close your eyes and do exactly as I say. "Do NOT think of a watermelon."

Avoid negative people! Trash talkers. Blah.

The letter C is the most positive letter- it starts all kinds of positive words. Cute, confident, calm, collected, cookies, cake, cool, clean... think "C"

Use commands with examples/images instead of just commands... use the mind to control the body.
Use images you can touch.
Use images that engage as many of your five senses as you can.
Images that are memorable.

Set attainable goals!

D is the least positive- dislike, discourage, disqualify..

Performance goals
Behavoir goals
Outcome goals

If I focus on performance and behavoir, I have a greater chance of achieveing my outcome.

Rules of goal setting:
when horses are concerned, write you goals in pencil
always voice you goal in a positive way
be prepared to modify goals on the fly!

If we maintain the perception of control, we can control our emotions

Gain, maintain, regain control

As equestrians- we have powerful memories than other sports.

Tough acting: Fake it 'till you make it. Calm, cool, collected. Mmmmhmmm....

Use a sound as a concentration cue-ex: dressage bell ringing (three C's!)
Use a place as a concentration cue- ex: start box (enter the start box, sing your song to make you feel good)
Use a motion as a concentration cue- ex: shorten your reins (shorten reins, lift and separate your shoulders!)

80% of everything you learn every day gets forgotten